Clothesline



U. B.- ALBERT. CLOTHES LINE.

(No Model.)

Patented Sept. 12

Wi'h asscsM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLAY B. ALBERT, OF OARROLLTON, MISSOURI.

CLOTH ES LIN E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 505,016, dated September 12, 1893.

Application filed June 5, 1893- Serial No. 476,661. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CLAY B. ALBERT, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Carrollton, in the county of Carroll and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Clothesline,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to clothes-lines, and has particular reference to certain improvements upon that construction of clothes-line illustrated, described, and claimed inUnited States Patent No. 457,335, granted me August 11, 1891.

In the construction of clothes-lines therein set forth two winding rolls were employed for the purpose of paying out and taking up the clothes-line, and the pulley around which the operating wire was doubled was provided with means whereby the tension of the operating wire could be regulated.

The objects and advantages of my invention, together with the novel features thereof, will hereinafter appear and be particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings:Figure 1 is a perspective view of a clothes-line embodying myinvention. Fig.2isasectional View. Fig. 3 is a detail of the traveling cross-head. Fig. 1 is a plan view thereof.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The two posts 1 support a housing 2, and the housing may be located upon a porch, in a doorway or window or under any protecting cover desired. The post3 is located some distance from the cover, for instance at the opposite end of a yard, and has securedto its face a U-shaped bracket 1, which is disposed toward the housing 2, and has journaled therein a grooved pulley 5.

6 designates a cross-head, and the same has mounted upon its upper side a pair of bearing standards 7 between the upper ends of which is journaled a grooved roller 8. The front of the head is provided with a pair of bearing brackets 9 in which there is j ournaled the shaft 10 which supports a drum 11. The drum 11 is provided with an eye 12 and at one side of the drum the shaft is provided with a ratchet wheel 13 upon which operates a holding pawl 14, the drum and ratchet-wheel being rigidly secured to their shaft. The outer end of the shaft is squared to receive a crank 16 by which it may be wound. In the housing there is journaled a transverse shaft 17 and upon the same a roll 18 is rigidly mounted. One end of the shaft outside of the housing is squared and is provided with an operating crank 19. A series of eyes 20 is located upon the roll and a wire 21 leads from one of said eyes under the pulley 8 around the pulley 5, and is secured to the eye of the drum, the said wire having its tension regulated by said drum 11. A second wire 2 1 is secured to the central eye 22 with which the cross-head is provided at that side opposite the drum andis also secured to one of the eyes of the roll, the said wire passing around the roll reversely to that of the wire 21. A single wire 23 passes through the eye 22 and corresponding eyes 25 with which the cross-head is provided, and has its terminals passed around and connected to the end eyes of the series with which the roll is provided. Thus it will be seen that the wires 23 are at opposite sides of the wire 24, so that we have when the clothes-line is in operative position a series of three wires from which the clothes may be suspended. It will be observed that the tension of all the wires may beincreased or diminished by the drum on the cross-head and that such tension may be regulated when the cross-head is at the inner end of the line. It will furthermore be seen that when the roll is operated in one direction the supporting wire is wound upon the drum and the clotheslines or wires paid out so that the head is advanced carrying the latter wires therewith. During such paying out operation the articles to be dried are applied to the drying wires.

and when it is desired to remove the articles the movement of the roll is reversed through the medium of its crank, and as said clothessupporting wires move inward and are wound upon the roll the pieces are removed.

From the foregoing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings it will be seen that I have provided a clothes-line wherein the series of wires employed for operating the same and for supporting the clothes are all operated from a single roll, whereby I cheapen and improve the construction referred to as existing in my former patent. Furthermore, it will be seen that the tension of the several wires may be uniformly regulated, all by the same operation and decover.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a clothes-line, the combination with the inner and outer supports, and the pulley at the outer support, of the roll at the inner support having a crank for operating the same and provided with a series of eyes, a cross head, a grooved pulley arranged thereon, a winding shaft at the front side of the crosshead, squared at one end to receive a crank, a drum on the winding shaft, a ratchet wheel on said shaft, a pawl for locking the ratchet wheel, a supporting wire secured to the drum, passed around the pulley of the outer support, under the pulley of the cross-head and over and secured to an eye of the drum, and a series of wires leading from the cross-head to the drum and secured to the eyesthereof and reversely wound thereupon with relation to the first mentioned wire, substantially as specified.

2. In a clothes-line, the combination with the inner and outer supports, and the grooved pulley secured to the outer support, of the transverse shaft journaledat the inner support'carrying a roll provided with a series of eyes, the cross-head provided at its inner side with a series of eyes,acentral wire connected to one of the eyes and passed under and around the roll and secured to one of its eyes, the clothes supporting wire passed loosely through the series of eyes of the cross-head and following the direction of the first mentioned wire also secured to the roll, the standards arranged upon the upper side of the cross head, the grooved wheel journaled in the standards, the brackets at the opposite sides of the cross-head, the winding shaft arranged therein and squared at one end to receive a crank, the drum and ratchet wheel upon the winding shaft, a pawl for engaging the ratchet wheel, and a supporting wire secured to the drum, passed under the grooved pulley of the outer support and rearward under the pulley or wheel of the cross-head and secured to the roll upon which it is reversely wound with relation to the remaining wires, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aifixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CLAY B. ALBERT. Witnesses:

J. T. Prr'rs, WM. TAYLOR. 

